Thunderstorm
by Silent Kage
Summary: Nine years ago, Team Wolf along with its female captain, vanished. Gai hasn't forgotten about his fiance and will never let her memory fade, but what happens when they are found, and only the captain, Kimiko, is found barely alive. Will she survive the journey back to Konoha? Or will she die without seeing her fiance ever again?
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Naruto. Period. Only Kouga, Daisuke, and Kimiko are of my own imagination._

_(PS Sorry is Neji is a little OOC, always hated writing him, always will)_

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"WHERE IS OUR MOST YOUTHFUL SENSEI? IT IS NOT LIKE HIM AND HIS YOUTHFUL WAYS TO BE LATE TO A TEAM TRAINING DAY!"

Team Guy could be seen standing about in their normal training field while grey clouds hung low in the sky, casting a dreary shadow over Konoha. Currently, Neji, Tenten, and Lee were waiting around the grounds for their sensei, Konoha's Green Beast, Might Gai.

Tenten shrugged, "I don't know, Lee. Gai-sensei always seems to disappear on this day every year. Remember last time we tried to bring it up with him? He just blew off the question and made us run around the Forest of Death."

Lee struck an exaggerated thinking pose while squatting on the ground, "Then where could our most youthful sensei be?"

Suddenly, Lee shot up from the ground, fist raised high in the air, "THEN WE MUST GO FIND OUR GREAT SENSEI AND CONFRONT HIM!"

Thunder rumbled across the sky as a few drops of rain could be felt.

Neji 'hnn'd before motioning his hands to the sky, "Well, we won't be able to find him in this type of weather, even with my Bakkiugan activated. Let's wait and see if it lets up before we go and try and find him."

Lee and Tenten looked at each other for a second before agreeing and making their way towards a local tea shop with the possibility of waiting the storm out there.

** Memorial Stone….**

A hunched figure could be seen squatting in front of the large memorial stone. Slowly, the figure reached a hand out and placed his thumb at the beginning of a name before swiping his thumb slowly over it, memorizing the grooves and crevices of the name engraved. The figure paid no attention to his surroundings as the heavens growled and rumbled before unleashing a mighty down pour of rain. Civilians rushed past the hunched figure, most either ignoring him or missing his form entirely. Rain soaked his green spandex suit, turning it a darker shade of green, the same green as his fiancé's eyes before she had gone missing. His black, bowl cut hair was plastered to his neck, forehead, and cheeks, blurring his vision, yet he had no intention of moving it. Sitting at the base of the stone, collecting drops of rain and the occasional salty tear, was a blooming lotus flower. Rubbing his hand over the name once again, Gai sighed.

'_It has been nine years, my lotus blossom. I know you are still alive somewhere and somehow I will find you Kimiko.'_

**Acadamy...**

Rain pitter-pattered against the windows of a classroom on the second floor of the academy, causing an even drearier mood to form. More than half of the class had fallen asleep, so the teacher of said class decided to switch topics.

"Now," started Iruka as he turned around from the chalk board and faced the class, "Who has heard of the ANBU team, Team Wolf?"

Only one hand was raised. Said hand belonged to a 12 year old girl with waist length pink hair a red and white one piece dress.

"Alright Sakura, what can you tell us about Team Wolf?"

Sakura cleared her throat, "Team Wolf was made up of three of the highest ANBU to ever come from Konoha. About nine years ago, Team Wolf was sent on an A-Ranked Mission to retrieve information from Snow country. Within a week, Team Wolf had made it to Snow country and retrieved the information. On the 8th day, they began to make their way back to Konoha, but after another week had past, Team Wolf hadn't made it back to Konoha. Search teams were sent out to find Team Wolf but nothing was found. No battle sight, no blood, no bodies. They had just disappeared. They have never been heard of since."

By this time, everyone had begun to pay attention to Sakura's recollection of one of Konoha's best ANBU Teams. Even the lazy Shikamaru had woken up from his nap to listen in.

Iruka nodded his head, "Very good Sakura. Now, I shall add more to yours."

Carefully, he pulled a scroll out of his desk and slowly began to unravel it while keeping the contents inside a mystery from his students.

"Since over eight years have passed since their disappearance, the Hokage has allowed people to know of who the people were under the masks of Team Wolf."

A few seconds of silence passed as Iruka finished unraveling the scroll. By this time, all of the students were on the edges of their seats in anticipation. Finally, Iruka turned the scroll around for the class to see. Inside the scroll was a painting of three people, two men and one woman.

"The first male was Kouga Yamamoto, tracker and scout of the group. He was said to have greater senses than that of the Inuzuka clan."

As he continued to speak about Kouga, he pointed to the man that was standing to the far left in the painting. Kouga had long, shaggy brown hair that covered most of his left eye, that of which were deep red in color, as well as a very tan complexion. He wore black, baggy hakamas tied off with a red obi and black shinobi boots. No shirt could be seen on his person, but he, instead, wore a long, dark brown trench coat. Attached to his obi, though, was a pair of iron claws, his main choice of weapon.

"The second male was Daisuke Takeda, medic of the group. He was the top, male medic ninja in the village before his disappearance."

At this, he pointed to the second male that was standing to the far right of the painting. His hair was long, pale lavender in color, the same color as that of the Hyuga's eyes while his eyes were the darkest of blacks and his skin was pale. His outfit could be considered to be the exact opposite of his male team mate. With white, baggy hakamas and a white ANBU styled shirt, his pale skin looked slightly tanner than it normally did. A dark lavender colored obi was tied off at his hips and, attached to that, was a dark silver colored sickle and chain.

"And the last member of the group was Kimiko Tsukino, both the Captain of her squad and of all ANBU in the village. Her natural strength was on par with that of the Lady Tsunade's chakra enhanced strength and, before she and her team went MIA, was engaged to the legendary Might Gai."

He motioned his hand towards the center of the scroll, where the only female on the team was located. Her hair was black in color and went down to her mid back in loose ringlets. Her skin was fair in color, which made her dark, emerald colored eyes stand out. Her outfit consisted of a black, Chinese style shirt, green spandex shorts, and a grey skirt with two splits that almost went up to her hips. Like most female kunoichi, she wore black, knee high shinobi boots and, because of her strength, black, fingerless, leather gloves. Strapped diagonally across her back, though, was a large halberd. The blade was about six foot in length, stained dark silver in color, and looked easily to be at least 300 pounds. The handle was about three foot in length and was black with a green ribbon wrapped around it. What caught the eye of many was the guard of the sword. It was in the shape of a blooming lotus flower, petals facing up towards the blade, ready to stop any advancing blade from touching the wielder. Its color, unlike the dark silver of the blade, was a shimmering white gold color, obviously coated in true silver for extra protection.

As Iruka continued his lecture on the extraordinary team, the down pour outside continued, drenching anyone who dared to step foot out in the open. What no one knew though, was that over 1000 miles away, another ANBU team had just stumbled across a recently abandoned hideout that, at one point in time, had belonged to the cursed Sannin, Orochimaru. As they traveled deeper and deeper into the tunnels, they came across nothing but old blood splatters, dust, and the occasional snakeskin. As they reached the end of the tunnel, that of which opened up into a large, underground cavern, they were met with the sight of only three bodies strapped to tables, two of which were dead, while the third was breathing very shallow breaths. They (The ANBU team) approached the breathing body, hopefully to put it out of its misery, until the person's eyes snapped open and stared at them with pained and determination. The leader of the ANBU squad gasped behind his mask, causing the sound to echo out and into the room. Quickly, he turned back towards his other teammates.

"Dragon! Bird! Run as fast as you can and inform our nearest outpost that the Lady Kimiko of ANBU Team Wolf has been found alive, if not barely. I need medics waiting for her when I arrive! Go, quickly!"

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…**.I'm evil, oh so evil. I'm not sure if I want to end the story here and make it a one-shot, or, if I get enough reviews, make one or two more chapters. Who knows, cause I don't.**

**Hope you guys liked it. **

**Ja-Ne!**

**~Silent Kage**


	2. Chapter 2

_I do not own Naruto. Period. Only Kouga, Daisuke, and Kimiko are of my own imagination._

_(PS Sorry is Neji is a little OOC, always hated writing him, always will)_

_**Chapter 2**_

**One Week Later…**

The sky was a dreary color of grey today. The sun had tucked itself behind the clouds, and hidden itself from Konoha's view. The clouds grew and tumbled together, constantly forming larger and darker clouds before the sky was a dark, ashy grey color. Many civilians had called it quits earlier today, as had some ninja teams, but one Team in particular…

"YOSH! MY TEAM'S FLAMES OF YOUTH SHINE MAGNIFICIENTLY TODAY!"

Team Gai could currently be seen taking a lunch break after their morning training, despite the unwelcoming sky. Tenten and Neji were sitting at the base of a training log, talking quietly while eating their separate lunches. Lee… Lee was being Lee by trying to eat his lunch while doing pushups with only his pinkie fingers… and failing miserably, while Gai was doing pull-ups on a tree nearby, all the while yelling, _'he was not screaming, for screaming was not 'youthful'_, about his team's 'Flames of Youth'.

Tenten sighed and ran a hand over her face in annoyance, "I wonder if he doesn't hear himself when he yells these things?"

Just as Neji was about to answer, he felt an odd chakra disturbance near the edge of his senses. Switching on his Bakkiugan, he quickly found the source.

"That's odd..."

Tenten looked his way, "What is, Neji?"

Neji turned off his Bakkiugan before slightly turning towards her, "I just felt four ANBU level ninja run past here… well three running, one was being carried by the one in the lead. If their chakra was anything to go by, the one being carried in the front does not have long to live."

By this time, Lee had finished his lunch and had approached the duo, "Then my most youthful wishes for the injured one and hopes they get better soon!"

Tenten nodded in agreement with Lee before looking at Neji again, "But what's so weird about that? Ninja get injured every day, what's so different about this one?"

Neji shook his head, causing some of his long dark brown hair to fly into his face. With a huff, he pushed it to the side, "It's not that there was an injured ninja with them, it was that I had sensed them in general."

Lee cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean Neji-san?"

Neji 'hn'ed before continuing, "I hate to admit it, but when most ANBU are standing in front of me, even with my Bakkiugan activated, it is hard to sense their chakra. Just now, I could sense their chakra from here, with my Bakkiugan deactivated, so the injured ninja must be of some importance for them not to care if their chakra was sensed or not."

They continued to talk about his for another hour, before getting off track and continued their conversation about different styles of fighting used in the ANBU. Tenten was about to ask a question, something about a weapon she saw on an ANBU once, when Gai came over to them, announcing that lunch break was over and that he wanted '15 Youthful Laps' around the village before meeting him back here before 3pm. After getting two nods and a 'Yosh!', he sent them on their way. Gai waited a few moments before turning to his right, only to find an ANBU in a white cloak an Owl mask before him.

"How can I help you on this most youthful day, ANBU-san?"

"Might Gai, the Hokage is requesting your presence immediately in his office."

Gai cocked his head to the side, much like his student earlier in the day, before nodding, "Hai, I will be their momentarily."

The ANBU nodded once before disappearing in a plume of smoke, leaving Gai in his own thoughts.

'_I wonder what the Hokage wants.'_

"YOSH! I will come to the Hokage's aid immediately!"

And with that, Gai took off out of the training grounds, running at break neck speeds towards the Hokage's Tower.

**5 Minutes Later….**

The Hokage was currently smoking his pipe in his office with a frown marring his face. In front of him was an ANBU with a Tiger shaped mask. Currently, both were waiting on the one and only Might Gai to show up.

"W-wait Gai-san! You just can't-"

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

With a sudden flying kick, Gai came soaring into the office while the poor door was swinging to the side, hanging on by a single, bent hinge.

"I am here, Hokage-sama!"

Sarutobi nodded his head, "I can see that, Gai-san. And while I thank you for coming on such short notice, must you make it a habit of destroying my doors?"

Gai chuckled nervously before looking over at the ANBU that stood to the left front of the Hokage's desk, while Gai stood at the right front. Gai gave the Hokage an odd look.

Sarutobi inclined his head, "ANBU Team 41 had been assigned the task of tracking down Orochimaru's bases near Fire country. They had just recently returned today and what they had informed me of had shocked me quite deeply. ANBU Tiger will repeat the last portion of his report to you."

Gai turned to face the Tiger masked ANBU member who had yet to speak or move since Gai had first arrived. Finally, the ANBU spoke.

"My team and I had just finished scoping out a base near the border of Mist and Fire country when we stumbled across a large, open room filled with old medical equipment, bones, and old blood splatters. Near the center of the room were three medi-lab tables. As my team and I approached, I had noticed each table held a body that has strapped down by old chakra chains. As we went closer, we could make out that, out of the three bodies, only one, the one on the far left, was alive. I had approached the one on the far left with a hidden kunai drawn in hopes of ending the suffering of the person. But, as I reached her, I now realized that it was a female, her eyes had snapped open and she glared at my. I had gasped and shivered before realizing that throughout all of my 20+ years as an ANBU; only one person had ever caused me to go stiff with fear."

At this, Tiger had turned his (We will just say that Tiger is a guy) head towards Gai and stared at him for what seemed to be an eternity. Gai didn't seem to understand what the ANBU was getting at until something finally clicked.

"Y-you don't mean…. Hokage-sama, is it really true? That she has been found? And ALIVE?"

The Hokage waved his hand, causing the ANBU to nod his head and disappear in a plume of smoke. After a few moments of silence, Sarutobi nodded and leaned forward in his chair, his hands forming a steeple in front of him.

"Yes, Gai-san. Kimiko has been found and is currently in the hospital. She is in room 165, so if you wish to go see…"

Sarutobi glanced up from where he looked down at his desk to where Gai was, only to see a dust cloud rising from where Gai once was. Sarutobi chuckled as he picked up his pipe, "Oh to be young and in love again…"

**Konoha Hospital…**

**Room 165…**

White painted walls, white tile floor, crisp white bed sheets, and a distinct disinfectant smell; everything you would find in a normal hospital room. But, this wasn't a normal hospital room, because lying in the middle of the crisp white sheets on a standard hospital bed was Kimiko Tsukino. When she had first arrived, there was a state of mass confusion. Who wouldn't be though, when the strongest ANBU in the village that was said to be dead for the past nine years shows up unresponsive on the back of another ANBU. After everything calmed down to a reasonable level, Kimiko was taken immediately into surgery in hopes of reversing or removing anything the cursed Sannin had done to her. After having a medical scan on her body, all that had been found were 14 different chakra rods that had been placed in the joints of her body: Two in her neck, two in her shoulders, two in her elbows, two in her wrists, two in her hips, two in her knees, and two in her ankles. It seemed that Orochimaru had used her as an extra source of chakra, for either himself or whatever else his twisted mind could come up with. After the removal surgery, she had been washed and dressed in a standard hospital gown.

Which brings us to now, as we see Kimiko sleeping peacefully in the bed. Her black hair, once covered in dry blood and dirt, flowed like silk around the pillow, imitating a halo. Her skin was pale while various scars could be seen littered across her body. She was also very relaxed, as if, even in her unconscious state, her body could tell that she was home.

Everything was quiet in the small hospital room until the large, double-paned windows seemed to unlock themselves with a 'click' that echoed against the bare walls. One side of the window opened slowly, allowing a soft breeze into the room as Gai stepped in, landing in a crouch right in front of the window. His eyes searched slowly around the room before they landed on Kimiko, who had yet to wake up since she had been found at Orochimaru's base. Cautiously, he made his way over to the side of the bed and pulled up a chair before sitting down and staring at her peaceful expression. It wasn't long before Gai had tears streaming down his face, but he made no movement to remove them. He hesitated before gently picking up her small hand and holding it in his larger one, rubbing his calloused thumb in small circles over the back of her hand.

"I…I still cannot believe that it's really you, Kimiko… Nine years and your flames burn as bright as ever. My lotus blossom…I…I know you cannot hear me, but I knew you were always alive. I never gave up on you. You-I mean, I hope you remember me…"

Gai searched her peaceful expression in hopes of finding her awake. Sadly, only the steady rise-and-fall of her chest was the only movement that had happened since he had entered the room. Gai sighed.

"I remember that, one day, a friend of mine had said when some people are faced with a traumatic experience, some of their memory is lost depending on the severity of the trauma…. But I hope that, out of everything, you still remember me. The times we laughed together, the day I proposed to you, us training together… our first kiss…."

A few tears dripped off of his chin and fell towards the white sheets before impacting and leaving a small wet spot behind. Gai's eyes watered the more he thought about the memories that he shared with Kimiko. Outside the hospital, the clouds that had once grew and grumbled to their hearts content, finally, with a loud 'BOOM' and a sudden 'CRACK' of lightning, unleashed a mighty downpour of rain, soaking whatever unfortunate soul that had happened to be outside at the time.

"I… When they told me that you had gone missing…. I hadn't known what to think. I had thrown myself into training, since that was the only way I knew how to deal with my emotions without you here to talk to…. Some of my new friends…. Anko, Asuma, Kurenai…. You'd like them, Kimiko…. They helped me get out of my depression and caused me to think clearer…. But I never did give up on finding you….I'd be so lost if you had died, Kimiko, and if they had found your body… I don't know what I would have done…"

Another grumble of thunder punctuated Gai's sentence, soon followed by a flash of lightning that was close by.

A look of regret crossed Gai's face, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, Kimiko… I have always taught my team to protect their precious people…and yet… I had failed you. I hope you can forgive me when you wake up…. It's just… I want-"

The sound of rubber heals on tile floor began to echo closer and closer towards the door, barely heard over the sound of the storm raging outside. With a kiss to her palm, Gai moved back to the window and leapt of it, into the heart of the storm, just as a civilian nurse came in. She looked around the room and noticed the open window and the raging storm.

"Tsk!" she said as she moved towards the window, "Who in the world opened your window at a time like this, Tsukino-sama?"

After the nurse closed and locked the window, the woman turned back towards the sleeping ex-ANBU Head Captain.

"Now then Tsukino-sama, why don't we call the doctor in to see what we can do about having you woken up, yes?"

_**And… CUT! Hope you guys liked it, I wrote this chapter during my English class and my Math class, and so I had a bunch of notes scribbled on the side of the paper I wrote the story on. If anyone has a question about anything, don't hesitate to PM me.**_

_**If I feel up to it, I might make a 3**__**rd**__** chapter, and if some people really want more, then I might do a longer Omake after the third chapter.**_

_**Please Review!... Pwease?**_

_**~Silent Kage**_


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Naruto. Period. Only Kouga, Daisuke, and Kimiko are of my own imagination.

(PS Sorry is Neji is a little OOC, always hated writing him, always will)

_**Chapter 3**_

**A Couple Days Later…**

A few days had passed since the day that Kimiko was brought back to Konoha. Currently, we see Team Gai in the Hokage's Office being debriefed from a mission. They had just returned from a plantation that needed help bringing in their crops before the first frost and hired Team Gai to help. The Hokage, hearing that the mission was a success, was about to dismiss them when a nurse came flying in through the door.

"Lord Hokage! Tsukino-sama has gone missing! We were going to release her from the hospital this afternoon, but when I went into her room to give Tsukino-sama her pills, her bed was empty and her window was open! Orochimaru must have heard that we had rescued her and captured her back and is doing who-knows-what to her right now and-and-!"

The nurse looked up as she saw the Hokage hold his hand up in a calm manner.

"Peace, Sango-san. I will send a ninja out to find her and, while your worries for Miss Tsukino have their merit; Orochimaru would not be able to breach our village without us knowing."(Irony much?)

Sango blushed and nodded her head before bowing to the Hokage and returning to the hospital. The Hokage sighed as the door shut.

"Lee-san, Neji-san, Tenten-san, you are dismissed."

The three members of Team Gai glanced at each other before bowing to the Hokage and leaving the office, wondering what the Hokage wished to say to their sensei.

As the door shut behind them, the Hokage silently and wordlessly set up a sound barrier before reaching into his drawer and pulling out his 'all-seeing' glass orb. Forcing his chakra into the orb, he watched as an aerial view of the village formed in the orb. The view circled for a few moments before it seemed to sky bomb towards Training Ground 20 until it stopped, showing there was a single person in the clearing. The figure was Kimiko. Sarutobi looked up at Gai, only to see him staring at the orb.

"I know you have yet to speak with her Gai," said the Hokage as Gai looked up at him, "but she is confused and needs someone to comfort her right now. She needs her fiancé, Gai. She needs YOU."

Gai seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

**Training Ground 20…**

Kimiko stood out in the middle of the field, her head down and eyes downcast as the clouds took on an ominous shade of grey. Before she had ditched the hospital, a younger ANBU member had literally 'popped' in, handed her a white standard ANBU sealing scroll, and 'popped' back out. Inside the scroll was one of her outfits that she had kept at the ANBU headquarters which consisted of a black, form fitting, sleeveless turtleneck, a pair of dark green spandex shorts, and a grey medic nin skirt. She had forgone shoes, wanting to feel the ground beneath her feet as she ran away from hospital. She had no idea why she had bolted, but she knew she couldn't stay in there much longer. Something just called to her, pulled her towards this unused training grounds. But, now that she stood here, she wasn't sure what to do. She had never believed that she would be back at the village, or even alive for that matter. She had never thought she would see the village's towering walls, or the Hokage's welcoming tower. Not even Sarutobi. Or-

Kimiko choked back a whimper as she thought to the next person.

'_Not even Gai…'_

Her hands clenched her medical skirt until her knuckles turned white as a tear rolled down her cheek and splashed against the ground. Thunder rolled across the sky as her emerald eyes watered. She hadn't seen him, nor had he visited her in the hospital.

'_Maybe,' _thought Kimiko as she wiped her eyes, _'maybe he moved on… found someone who could defend herself and her teammates.'_

Lightning flashed across the sky. Kimiko threw her head back and stared at the sky as rain droplets began to fall. She closed her eyes once more and allowed the rain to pelt her body, soaking it to the bone. Her tears now fell freely, mixing and swirling with the rain around her. She felt a presence at the edge of the clearing, but ignored it, knowing it was probably someone that was sent to retrieve her.

"Kimiko?"

Her eyes furrowed even as they were closed, whose voice was that?

"Kimiko?"

Her eyes opened as she stared straight ahead, not daring herself to look behind her.

"Kimi-koi?"

Kimiko spun around and stared, with wide and tearful eyes, at the person who stood at the opposite end of the clearing. Drenched, much like herself, in full on green spandex and orange leg warmers was Gai. He looked semi-uncomfortable and very much like a kicked puppy as he stared out at her.

"…Gai-kun?" Kimiko whispered, almost unsure if it was really him.

Even from a distance, she could see his head nod slowly. Carefully, like she would bolt if he moved too suddenly, he made his way closer to her until he stood only an arm's reach away. Gai was taller than Kimiko, to where she only reached his nose, so she had to look up at him to see his face. Both just stood there, staring into each other's eyes until he finally moved. He slowly raised his hand until it rested against her tear and rain covered cheek. Kimiko closed her eyes and moved into his touch as he rubbed his calloused thumb over her high cheek bone.

"I… I still can't believe you're alive."

Kimiko opened her eyes as she felt his hand begin to pull away. Quickly, she placed her hand over his to keep him from pulling away. Gai seemed reassured by that.

"When they had first told me… I had a hard time believing it… I thought that there was a mistake."

Kimiko felt her eyebrows draw together in confusion, "Wait, you knew I was back? Why didn't you visit me? I… I thought you had moved on… Found someone else."

The heavens trembled and shook as the thunder grew louder and louder. Lightning cracked across the sky like a giant whip, shaking the earth and lighting up the stormy sky.

Gai furiously shook his head and drew her into a gentle embrace, his head resting on top of hers, "I… I had visited you, but you were asleep. I have a confession, my lotus blossom, I was afraid that you wouldn't accept me… that you had changed and wouldn't love me anymore."

Kimiko pulled her head back and looked his straight in his eyes, "Not love you? How could you even think that? You're Gai; my lovable, youth-loving, spandex-wearing man. You're my best friend, fiancé…."

At this she paused and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. The lightning seemed to flash across her eyes as she stared at him.

"…and the love of my life."

Gai stared at her for a long moment before he finally did something. He wrapped his hands around her hips and drew her closer until…

They kissed.

As they kissed, the rain ceased, the thunder stopped, the lightning ended, and the storm clouds parted.

The thunderstorm was gone, and their hearts were united once again.

~FIN


End file.
